Meet the cast: Jake and Elliefeatured

When we decided to move forward with producing Break, we knew we had a good script, which laid the foundation for a good project. Next, we needed to build a team with the right cast and crew.

Lucky us — we found them! I’m excited to share a bit about them.

The perfect, perfect parents

A lot of Break deals with the challenge of transitioning from college life into full-fledged adulthood. Trying to take what worked so well in one realm and transplant it into a completely different phase of life.

Mike and Hannah are hoping to find a road map, or at least a few guideposts.

And for Hannah, her parents (Jake and Ellie) are important models. The script describes Jake and Ellie as “Facebook perfect in coordinating cashmere.” And they are! Just check them out ⇓⇓⇓

Ellen Lindsay, Kate Pennington and Kurt Gerard Heinlein as Elllie, Hannah and Jake. Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles

But there is, of course, more going on under the surface. And it’s a milestone for Hannah to realize that her parents can’t just be the perfect, uncomplicated bedrocks she wants them to be.

So we needed actors who could sell the blissful façade yet also had the skill and zest to play a wide range of subtext and tone.

Jake

We found Jake very close to home, next door to our own program, in fact. Kurt Gerard Heinlein is the head of the BFA Acting program at Missouri State.

There’s very little I can say about his work in the role without spoiling the plot. Let’s just say he really knows how to commit to the moment, and he has an innate intensity that’s perfect for Jake.

He’s also such a pro — just a fantastic person to work with and an ideal model for young actors.

Kurt Gerard Heinlein with Darian Bengston on the set of Break. Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles

Ellie

Ellie, like Hannah, appears straightforward. And, as written, it’s such a fun role.

But it’s also a trap role. It would be easy to make some hasty judgments, playing her in a way that’s clichéd — and consequently, easy to dismiss. So on top of needing an actor with the necessary skill, I wanted someone with a big heart. Someone who would get on the character’s side and stay there, even when it was tough.

Ellen Lindsay was lovely for this. She brings such thoughtful preparation and intention to her work, which helped reveal depth in this unpredictable character.

Ellen Lindsay with Kate Pennington (and Kurt Gerard Heinlein, Darian Bengston, Madison Auten and Kong Thao) on the set of Break. Photo by Mary Ellen Chiles

And — once again, we got really lucky. These two had known each other for years and worked together before; they really sold the history of this family. They’re skilled, so they probably would have been able to do it anyway… but it was cool.